Drink Now, Pay Later.

Alcohol is one of the most prominent drugs in our society today. Many people see this drug as a way to relieve stress and have fun. Due to its inhibitory-lowering skills, people make decisions that they normally wouldn’t. it was thought that this effect stayed during the intoxication period, but a recent study could prove that differently.

Karen Hopkin reports about a study done with teenage rats in which they gave them Jello shots. The rat’s decision skills were deemed risky and continued that trend into their adult lives. Rather than to stay with the safer choice, the rats took the chance.

In this society, we have high standards for the average human. With the competition so thick, we have to take risks. Life gets boring without risks, and personally I would prefer to live a life without regrets and with stories. I am not supporting drinking at a young age, but I am not condoning it either.

The Genetic Debate: Selective Breeding or Genetic Modification?

Food production is a growing issue in our society today. We want bigger a lot faster than the product can have. We need crops that won't get wiped out by one single virus. This issue is dominating the minds of all who pay attention as our understanding of gentics grow and the more we can mess with the way our world operates. Selective breeding was how we originally started playing with genetics. If we wanted a fluffy, little puppies that stayed small forever, we would find two small, fluffy dogs and hoped that we would end up with what we wanted. When Gregor Mendel discovered genetics, we got into genetic modification. Genetic modification is when we delve into DNA and start messing around. If we want a fluffy little puppy, we go in and insert fluffy and small. Selective breeding helps breed out genes that we don't want, but on the flipside we never know what we're going to get. Genetic modification lets us get exactly what we want, for sure. But what happens when we go too far? We end up with bunnies that glow in the dark, something agaisnt nature. I'd say that the public needs to know more about genetic modification. If we are having our food fight bugs, we end up creating a stronger bug. I think that Mendel would be shocked with what we have done, and I agree. I think that it is entirely unnatural.

Why Ecosystems Services Matter

In today's modern world, we are all about the future. Our idea of the future is often depicted as a concrete, metal, completely man-made society. To think that we can survive without nature is a terrible, apocalyptic mistake. Nature protects us from itself with things called ecosystem services. These are the things that keep air clean and protect us from hurricanes. Think of a natural disaster and you will find something in nature that contradicts and stops it from total destruction.

Peter Kareiva, chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy, talks about the ecosystem services in February of 2009. He defines them as "... the products or functions that nature provides which are of great value for people." (American Scientist, "Why Ecosystem Services Matter.") He and his colleagues decided to attempt to put a cost on these services. Putting a one on is near impossible, but as Kareiva says, "putting zero value on nature is a much bigger mistake.

I always knew that nature protects us; I just never thought that they would put a name on it. I'm going to take away from this article the importance of our actions on nature. It is such a finite line for us to walk with our race progressing forwards; but as we do that, we risk losing what keeps us alive.